Serenity
by RJBR66
Summary: A poisoned Blu may have defeated Nigel and the loggers, but hidden foes and daunting challenges will break the peace of the Amazon in: Serenity
1. Prologue and Author's note

**Dear Community,**

 **I admit, I am late to join the Rio bandwagon. The "glory days" may have come to pass, but that doesn't mean that we should abandon the fantastic creative canvas the Rio movies have provided. Many a romantic movie has been filmed, many a passionate book has been written, but a love between two birds in a G-rated setting has won me and you over… why? for me, it was the work done by a brilliant writing team to appeal to adults and teens . While the dazzle of the animation and accented, pompous, rhyming villain can keep a young child entertained for hours, it is the story beneath it that sets it apart from many other movies, a story that doesn't necessarily appear if you don't look for it. Under the surface, what you have is a story of hope, loss, passion, love and revenge. A Villain who is motivated, efficient, and pure evil, with an excellent portrayal and backstory to endear him to the audience. A quirky, underestimated, kind and, at times, wise protagonist paired with his match a conflicted, confident, damaged, and yet secretive bird to create a love dynamic that, on the surface, is simple, but in reality couldn't be explained in a thousand words. The setting, a place I am most familiar with, Brazil. Being half Brazilian, I not only speak the language da cidade maravilhosa but have been exposed to its culture, lifestyle, and music. In these movies, the locations are characters as well and are portrayed to near perfection. The movie carries with it the heart-warming and visually stunning elements of an American animation, an incredible piece of universal story writing skill, and an accurate depiction on one of the most stunning and great cultures of this world.**

 **Seeing as I've simply outlined the obvious (after all, none of you would be here if you didn't already understand what I said above) I will explain why I have gone from reading fanfiction, to writing fanfiction, and what my final goal is with this story.**

 **I started reading Rio fanfiction in late 2011, about a month after the movie came out. I related with the stories and kept reading sometimes daily (in 2011 and 2014), sometimes weekly (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016). Authors came and went but most stories were top notch quality. After all, the writing team left room for creativity (Nobody honestly thinks that the pit of doom argument was all she wrote right?) and subplots that this community ran with. I decided to start writing in June of this year, however, I couldn't find a plot or end goal to start writing… Until I got on a plane to Brazil and re-immersed myself in its culture. Now I know my plot (which in time you will discover) and my end goal of writing a story which is reminiscent of the old, "Golden Age" Rio fanfics with a touch of the Rio 2 "New Age" dramatic flair. Like the Rio fanfics of old, it will be centered on the love of Blu, Jewel, and their family while using OCs merely as "supporting actors" with a more backstage role to spice up the story, not lead it. Like the New Age fanfics, I will explore the Amazonian "wild" dynamic and how it meets with Blu's human dynamic and use the more diverse Rio 2 plot style instead of the simplistic Rio 1 plot style.**

 **Thank you for reading this message and my story, for those of you who stayed, the prologue awaits.**

 **P.S. I do take OC suggestions, comment them.**

 **P.S.S. constructive criticism both welcomed and appreciated**

 **Prolougue:**

Pain. That's all Blu could register after the dynamite went off, throwing him down three hundred feet at incredible speeds. Even when the adrenaline rush of being attacked by Nigel hit him and allowed him to fight back, his body just received more punishment. Thwap! Yet another painful obstacle was thrown at him as a dart hit his chest. He began to see an ocean of dark red blood coat his feathers...but not all of it was his blood. A small, yet lethal hole was made in the chest of his nemesis, a hole created by the strange dart that hit him. At last, he succumbed to the darkness…


	2. Chapter I

Jewel I

"Blu!" Jewel cried out as she witnessed the explosion. She had just gone through the emotional turmoil of arguing with him mere hours ago, she was not about to lose him to that stupid cockatoo. As she flew to him, sheer terror clenched her when she saw her mate, passed out with blood all over his plumage and dripping below him into a sinister, hellish puddle with the gasping, dying Nigel next to him.

"Kids, leave, NOW!" she heard Mimi uncharacteristically yell back to the children behind her, while running to the tied up birds.

"Listen to your aunt, go to your uncle Rafael and stay with him, do you understand!" She asked her kids, they nodded. "Alright, I'll come back to fetch you", she told them before heading off to join Mimi. In a matter of seconds, the Spix tribe, Scarlet tribe, and Amazon untamed performers were surrounding their fallen hero in a frenzied panic. Jewel ran over to Blu, searching for the injuries and crying her eyes out.

"Is there a doctor here, somebody? Anybody?" She cried out to the audience, desperately.

Fighting through the crowd came an old Lear's macaw, he was tall, broad shouldered and had prominent smile lines, even though his face had a dark, grim expression on it. He carried a fanny pack that was just like Blu's, except it had a red cross on it.

"Madam, I'm doctor Claudio De Campas. I was medically trained by humans in ornithology, I can help your husband!" he shouted over the crowds panicked and frenzied reaction in a calm, heavily accented voice.

Jewel desperately nodded at him, granting him permission to treat her beloved mate. The doctor rushed over and immediately got to work.

"Ok, he has a poison dart in his chest, we are going to need to remove that instantly and administer an antivenom!" the doctor yelled over the crowd to Jewel who was next to him. "We are going to need more help!" he added. On cue, Eduardo and Felipe rushed out of the crowd to help.

"What can we do to help Claudio?" Eduardo asked with a worried and desperate tone.

"Ok, you" he pointed at Felipe, "Make sure he is in a safe position while we remove the dart." "You", he continued, pointing at Eduardo "Keep pressure on the area around the wound." "And m'am, check his pulse at all times."

With all of the others ready, Claudio pulled a syringe from out of his bag. "What the hell is that?!" Eduardo inquired.

"Etomidate and Midazolam, they are anesthetics." Claudio replied

"Ane-what?" Felipe asked

"They will make sure Blu doesn't wake up during the procedure." The doctor explained while injecting the chemicals into Blu's wing.

"Ok, I'm gonna remove the dart in three...two...one!" The dart came out and immediately blood began coming out of the hole. Jewel's heart turned cold as she saw the red liquid pouring out from the hole in Blu's chest. The only thing keeping her from having a complete mental breakdown was the faint pulse she could feel with her primary feathers. Despite the relief of the pulse, she couldn't help but think; "My lovehawk is alive...but for how long?"

Jewel II

Panic and terror are two emotions that, if combined, can be highly damaging to the spirit. Jewel felt like she had become the manifestation of these emotions. Her normally beautiful light blue plumage was messy and unkempt. Her stunning eyes had bags under them from lack of sleep. And worst of all, her heart was numb. Her lovehawk was on a bed in Roberto's hollow, the only thing keeping him alive; two plastic tubes, an oxygen mask, and a vigilant Dr. De Campas.

"Mrs. Gunderson, the venom on the dart was from an unknown frog. We were able to stop it from being lethal, but he will have to deal with the symptoms when he wakes up" Dr. Claudio explained while seated by a makeshift desk with a bird sized chair, flipping through a stack of papers.

"What are the symptoms?"

"Headaches, temporary paralysis from the waist down, bursts of delirium, extreme pain, and temporary blindness" a glum Claudio replied, spinning the chair around so he could face Jewel.

"How long will the symptoms affect him?" Jewel asks, a tear forming in her eye.

"I don't know Julia… I'm sorry" Claudio concluded apologetically, .

"I understand Claudio, and please, call me Jewel" Jewel replied between heavy crying.

For five minutes Roberto's hollow-turned-hospital turned into a concoction of Jewel's wailing, sobbing, and desperation. Claudio tried to comfort her to little avail.

"Why do you go by Jewel?" Claudio finally asked, trying to get Jewel's mind off her husband.

"My dad wanted to name me Gem, but my mom thought it was tacky and finally forced my dad to agree to Julia. But, as an act of rebellion, he called me Jewel because of how close it was to Gem. The big irony is my mom loved the name Jewel, so I've gone by Jewel ever since." Jewel said, controlling her crying and wiping her tears.

"Fascinating" Claudio replied, listening intently.

A short silence overtook them before Jewel piped up and asked.

"So… where are you from Claudio? your accent suggests that you're not from here."

"I'm from Minas, but I was born in Rio."

"Really? So was Blu."

"Interesting, did he have American family? Blu is an uncommon name for a native Brazilian."

"He didn't have Brazilian parents. He was captured by smugglers as a chick and was raised by a human named Linda in a place called Moose Lake"

"Is that in America?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so… One second Jewel, I need to check something."

Whistling to himself and quickly turning his swivel chair around, Claudio picked up another set of documents, they had pictures of Blu, Jewel, and the kids on them.

"What are those… how did you get them?" Jewel asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"This? Just your family's health insurance info and medical history." Claudio replied absentmindedly, grabbing a pair of glasses from the table to better look over the documents.

"Tiago Eduardo Gunderson, son; Carla Marie Gunderson, daughter; Beatriz Linda Gunderson; Tyler "Blu" Gunderson, father; and Julia "Jewel" Gunderson, mother." The doctor started out loud, reading from the paper.

"Father has mild anxiety and vitamin-B deficiency and no previous surgical history. Mother has a slightly damaged wing from a now healed break and one surgical treatment; a caesarian section to ease the laying of her eggs. The son has a slight feather defect resulting in a few feathers growing out of pattern and ADHD. Daughter one shares her brother's ADHD but has no other reported issues. Daughter two has no notable deformities…"

"That's us." Jewel said with a false grin.

"Extra notes; Father has notable talon strength…" Claudio continued

"He couldn't fly until he met me" Jewel informed him, this time with a genuine smile.

Claudio read over a few more lines and raised an eyebrow,

"Father also has an incredible sex drive according to mate; disclosure to be kept under strict confidentiality"

Jewel blushed redder than a tomato and tried to hide her face behind her wings.

"Do you often go out of your way to compliment your husband Mrs. Gunderson?" Claudio replied with a cheshire grin.

Her blush deepened, as she turned away from the doctor.

"I'm just teasing, it's such a healthy thing for you two to be sexually active at your age."

"Really?"

"Absolutely, in my opinion, it is a very good method of stress relief."

"I guess that's right, he always wants to do it after he gets home from work"

"Ok, too much information" Claudio jokingly scolded.

Jewel and Claudio chuckled at their conversation as Claudio casually turned back around to look at the monitor he set up to the right of Blu. A thin grey line started to dip, resulting in Claudio's smile doing the same.

"Jewel… he will be waking up from the anesthesia in a few minutes."


	3. Chapter II

**A/N: This one is a bit of a filler chapter. The plot will be elaborated soon, I promise. O/C suggestions and comments highly appreciated.**

 **Blu I**

Blackness is all he could see. The blindness not helped by the pain he felt causing every nerve in his body to burn up. In his moment of desperation, he knew who he wanted beside him.

"JEWEL!" he called out, not daring to move.

"Blu, I'm here, breathe, what do you feel?" a concerned Jewel replied, soothing her husband and brushing her wing against his cheek and forehead.

"Jewel...It-It hurts everywhere."

"Nobody else is here, let it out" his concerned wife replied, expecting him to yell in agony. Instead, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"The greatest pain...I have to en-endure is not being able to see your face" Blu said, causing Jewel to suddenly lie down next to him, crying madly.

"I thought I lost you" she said between heavy sobs, hugging him tightly.

"I did too" Blu replied, comforting his wife, wincing and grunting in pain slightly.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Jewel inquired, trying to restrain new tears.

"You di-didn't, that st-stupid frog had to shoot the...urg...poison dart" Blu struggled to say. Jewel recovered from her crying fit to care for her mate and began to massage him and whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

"J-Jewel, the k-kids?"

"Mimi is watching them, somebody had to take care of you darling." Jewel explained while massaging his shoulders.

"Was she... the one who treated me?" Blu asked.

"No, that would be Claudio, a doctor who just happened to be there."

"O-ok"

A short silence overtook the two of them as Blu fought the waves of agony that broke on him.

"J-Jewel… I just...want you to know that I-I love you" Blu said, pausing for air between words

"I love you too my lovehawk, so much" Jewel replied, kissing his forehead and crying happy tears.

"I'll f-fight the...argh… pain so that I can go b-back to being a dad and husband" Blu said, slowly lifting his upper body out of the bed.

"Blu, I'm not sure if that's a g-"

"My legs! I can't move my legs!" Blu cried out, cutting her off

"Claudio knew this would happen, like your blindness, It's temporary… I'm sorry darling." Jewel told him, her voice full of worry, compassion, and pity

"It's alright Jewel…"

"But, he did give me this wheely chair thing that he said could help you out, he left it in our new hollow."

"New hollow?" Blu questioned

"Yes, I sent Rafael back with some money and asked him to hire an architect and a mover back in Rio, so we have all of our stuff over here."

"A-Awesome… h-how much did you spend?"

"About eight thousand Reais"

"B-Bargain" Blu replied with a smile.

"D-Did you sell our old...place?"

"I tried Blu, but I didn't have the heart to do it" Jewel said while applying a wet cloth to his forehead.

"I-I knew you wouldn't… You love it l-like I do" Blu chided with a warm smile.

"Ok pet, you got me, I do, but don't expect me to appreciate the human-ness of it." Jewel replied with a grin

"J-Jewel, do you think humans h-have good...Ideas?" Blu asked her sincerely. Jewel pondered it for a while before replying; "Yes, I think they do".

"Then why not u-use good ideas?" Blu replied before falling asleep

 **Jewel III**

What Blu said caught her off guard. He was right. Humans lived an advanced life. Maybe it wasn't wrong to have new and creative ideas. The words gave her a deep sense of guilt because she removed Blu from this. He was happy in Minnesota learning and being inventive. After meeting her, he threw that all away to start a family with her in an excotic place, thousands of miles away. Sure, things like money and jobs were still part of day to day life, but he was only allowed to keep a shred of what he used to have. And now, she took him to the Amazon, a place void of all his origins where he has done nothing but suffer.

Jewel sighed and let go of her soundly sleeping husband's wing. She looked down at the handsome male. His nerdy demeanor never actually took away from how good looking he was. Sure, he didn't have the most muscle on earth and didn't have the boyish features of Roberto, but he looked mature, and wise. The way his warm brown eyes glowed when he smiled and his kind nature made him unbelievably attractive to her. Even Mimi noted that many of the tribes divas liked him.

"Jewel, are you in here?" she heard her father call out.

"Yeah dad, I'm here" she replied softly.

Her father walked in, his usual proud and pompous expression softened.

"How is he?" Eduardo asked.

Jewel cried, bringing her father into a tight embrace

"Dad… He's in so much pain. He can't walk or see and it's all my fault."

"No Jewel, It's mostly my fault. I was too hard on him at the start. I couldn't see his bravery and love for you until it was almost too late." Eduardo admitted solomnly

"No dad, it's been going on for longer than that… I didn't approve of his parenting style. I dragged him around and… and I treated him horribly, and turned his kids against him at the pit of doom" she confided bawling her eyes out on her father's shoulder.

"I'm a horrible mate!" She concluded, falling to her knees in guilt.

Unbeknownst to them, Blu had heard everything and was crawling out of his hopital bed and onto the floor. He crawled by his crying mate and hugged her tightly.

"No m-matter how… many mistakes you make, I wi-will always… love you" Blu told her, struggling to muster the energy and fight the pain. Jewel said nothing, she simply bawled her eyes out into his plumage. Blu turned to Eduardo and asked

"Sir, can you forgive me for the pit of doom."

"There is nothing to forgive. The one who need forgiveness is me, from you."

"Consider yourse-yourself… f-forgiven" Blu replied with a kind smile.

"Thank you Blu, I will leave you two alone" Eduardo said before flying out of the hollow. He held his sleeping angel tighter against him and she said; "I will make things right Blu, I promise."


	4. Chapter III

**Warning!: This chapter contains brief,** **mildly** **explicit sexual content. All characters (Except Gilberto and Claudio) belong to Blue Sky Studios.**

Blu II

Three months into his recovery, Blu was doing remarkably well physically, emotionally, and socially. Physically, he felt pain in short, occasional bursts. Emotionally, he and Jewel were gradually getting past their previous conflicts and were as close as could be desired. And socially he was the hero of the tribe. Every day members of the tribe would stop by the house to give him gifts, wish him well, or just meet him.

"Morning dad!" his kids called out from around the breakfast table in the center of the hollow.

"Morning kids! Sleep well?" Blu replied as his assistant, Gilberto, wheeled him over to the table to join them.

"Yes" the three said in unison.

The five of them started eating, enjoying their helpings of Brazil nuts, cereal, coffee (for Blu and Gilberto) and fruit juice.

"Kids, where is your mother?"

"She went out to get Pop-Pop, Aunt Mimi, Uncle Rafael, Uncle Nico and Uncle Pedro" Tiago informed him.

"Oh, that's good to hear. What is she getting them for?" Blu inquired.

"She wants to give them a tour of the hollow" Bia explained.

As if on cue, Rafael, Mimi, Pedro, Nico, Jewel and Eduardo flew into the hollow in that order, greeting Blu, Gilberto and the kids.

"Nice place you got Blu… Is dat a TV?" Pedro said

"You bet" Blu responded.

"Nice! How do you get cable out here?" Nico inquired.

"Not cable, it's a satellite TV, I've got channels from all over the world."

"I've gotta admit Amigo, you've got the best pad a bird could wish for. It's wild… but it's also human. I mean, it's in the Amazon, but you've got wifi, an oven, a coffee machine, bedrooms and stuff. How much did this cost?" Rafael ranted

"Just eight grand." Blu replied casually while pouring himself another coffee.

"Jewel, yo husband is really knocking it out of da park with his e-co-nom-ics." Pedro said with giddy enthusiasm.

"Not my husband Pedro", Jewel said, taking a seat next to Blu and kissing him on the cheek. "Me."

"That's right the best wife this macaw could ask for turns out to be savvy with money" Blu complemented, returning his wife's kiss.

"Mrs. Gunderson is, indeed, a very skilled economist", Gilberto confirmed, sipping his coffee

"Aww, thanks Gilberto, all these compliments are making me blush", the female replied coquettishly.

"Blu… what is all this stuff?" Eduardo finally spoke up.

"The best luxury humans can offer, while still being wild." Blu replied, gesturing toward all of gadgets behind him.

"Glad to see you're… comfortable" Mimi said with a smile.

"Shouldn't we get to the point?" Jewel said, her lively demeanor suddenly vanishing.

"Yeah, but let's eat first I'm starving" Rafael agreed and added.

The birds began chowing down on the banquet of breakfast foods laid out in front of them while making small talk for about ten minutes. Blu, undeniably curious at what the fuss was all about, finally spoke up and asked,

"So, what is this drama all about?"

Jewel, feeling the time was right to start the conversation, nodded at Gilberto, who escorted the kids into another room so the adults won't be disturbed.

"Blu, the tribe's politics were thrown off balance after the logger incident", Mimi began.

"The Council of Elders, wants to insure that politics don't change, an-"

"Pardon, council of elders?" Blu interrupted.

"They are a group of twenty patriarchs, one from each of the noble families, who regulate my powers and what I'm able to do. They are the ones who created all of the ancient laws that even I can't break", Eduardo explained, nodding at Mimi when he finished so she could continue.

"So, as I was saying, the council absolutely hates the idea that you and Jewel are popular as it thwarts all of their attempts to seize power from Eduardo. Before your family arrived, the royal family had two members; myself and Eduardo, and was at a low point in terms of popularity. When you two arrived, you gave a new, young energy to the family, thus raising its popular support. Not to mention your heroism Blu, which gives the family a lot of political firepower. However, there is a problem."

"Roberto…" Jewel murmured sadly.

"Roberto" Eduardo interrupted, not hearing Jewel.

"Will you stop interrupting me Eddie!" Mimi exclaimed, taking a deep breath."

"Roberto has decided to go off on his… own course shall we say", she continued.

"The tribe thought he was to be the 'Great Uniter' the bird who would bring together the Council and the leadership. In reality, he would become nothing more than a puppet. You see, his father, Antonio, is the head of the council, and would have a lot of control over him. If he was to become the leader, it would ruin the tribe." Mimi finished

"Which brings us to our point honey" Jewel interjected, stealing the flow of the conversation.

"If the tribe is to succeed, you have to become leader after my dad retires".

This caught Blu off guard. Leader? Him? I mean sure, he led the escape from the airplane in Rio as well as the attempt to rescue Jewel, not to mention saving the tribe. But to lead a now growing group of over three hundred macaws in a time of political turmoil was like a fever dream to him. What about his kids? He would be so busy and stressed he wouldn't be able to find time for them. However, he knew that it was his duty to do this, as a father, husband, and tribe member.

"I'll do it", Blu replied uncharacteristically seriously after contemplating it. "I'll do it because I feel like I have no other choice. However, I feel like in order to be fair and unbalanced, I should listen to my own conscience, and trust my own judgment over all else." Blu said, staring directly at Eduardo, who gave him a firm nod.

"I guess that's that then", Mimi concluded.

Roberto I

" _Damn that blasted pet_ " Roberto thought to himself. It was bad enough that he missed his chance at becoming Jewel's mate, but to be one upped by her actual mate who just happened to be domesticated was an utter humiliation. Sure, Roberto was able to do damage control and keep his political popularity high, but Blu, his hated enemy, was clearly the most popular bird in the tribe.

Roberto, flying quietly, flew behind Blu's hollow hoping to hear something about his plans. He had seen Eduardo enter earlier in the day, and he was damn near sure that there was a conspiracy against him. However, the sounds he heard through the window were not what he expected.

"Oh god Blu… unh!… You're s-so good… ah!… at this!"

"Jewel.. You f-feel so good…"

"Blu… please… harder!… f-faster!... again!"

"I… Miss doing this… so much."

"Me… unh!… too, Blu… You're… Oh!... so big!"

"Great thinking Roberto", he thought to himself sarcastically, "that is some critical info."

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know your predictions and thoughts in the comment section.**


	5. Chapter IV

Blu III

Blu woke up with a start, cold sweat dripping off his forehead and dropping onto his beak. His face was twisted into a fearful expression, his breaths rapid. These nights were becoming more common since the day he accepted his future job. Stress, worry, and a high-maintenance lifestyle were beginning to take a toll on him. Despite being able to walk as of a month ago and taking medication and physical therapy for his pain, he still felt sick, old, and worn out.

With a deep sigh, Blu wiped his forehead clean of sweat with his wing and gave his sleeping wife a kiss on the cheek, causing her to subconsciously smile. The tired and stressed Spix then walked over to his hollow's grand staircase and slowly climbed it to reach the swimming pool on the third floor. Once there, Blu dove into the water and took in the energy the sudden rush of cold gave him. After treading water for a while, he began to swim lengths. Back in Minnesota, when summertime came around, he would always swim in the lake by Linda's house. This made him a fantastic swimmer, something that set him apart from most birds.

After about three lengths of freestyle, he stopped to take a breath, and noticed Jewel sitting on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet in the water.

"Hi handsome, I saw those lengths, that was pretty impressive", she greeted giving him a quick peck on the beak.

"Thank you honey" Blu replied, shooting her a smile.

"Why don't you come in? the water is warm"

"Oh, no Blu… I kinda… well"

"Don't know how to swim", Blu finished.

"How did you know?"

"You always avoid going to the riverside, and you stayed completely glued to me on the boat ride here"

"You're too smart for your own good sweetie, you know that?" Jewel scolded jokingly

"You give me too much credit honey" Blu retorted with a grin.

"But seriously honey, I could teach you how to swim if you'd like."

"I don't know Blu… It doesn't feel safe", Jewel shyly replied.

"Nonsense! hop in and at least enjoy the water"

Conceding to his demands, Jewel finally jumped in the water with a not so elegant, hesitant, jump. Panicking slightly, she quickly waded over to Blu and stood next to him.

"Honey, relax, you're ok." Blu said, convincing Jewel to finally stop shuddering in fear to take a deep breath.

"Today's lesson will simply be to get comfortable with floating and simply being in the water", Blu informed her with an encouraging smile while floating on his back. Jewel, not willing to be outdone by her mate, copied his movements and floated next to him, planting another kiss on his beak.

"Well done", Blu said, grinning.

"Thanks sweetie" Jewel replied with a smile of her own.

"So Blu, I wanted to talk about our kids… and how we should raise them".

"Jewel, I know you won't concee-".

"You are right Blu… they shouldn't be too wild". This caught Blu completely off guard.

"Jewel, are you saying that after that whole argument, you changed your mind?"

Jewel IV

Jewel flashback-

"You need to figure out what you want", Jewel started, stuttering slightly to find the right words to say to her mate. "And maybe stopthinkingabout just yourself and start thinking about us" she finished.

"Stop thinking about myself…" Blu repeated, in an uncharacteristically low, calm voice.

"Stop thinking about me, huh?" He asked rhetorically.

"I think I've thought of you quite enough you… you…"

"Tell me Blu, tell me what I am!", Jewel arrogantly replied, believing that her mate couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Ungrateful" he started, "Disloyal, cheating, crude, heartless, vile, cold, wretch of a bird." Blu finished in his calm, angry tone.

"B-Blu… wha… Me… a…" Jewel said in an odd tone that was both angry and heartbroken.

"Let me tell you something Jewel, I have done very little for myself in all my thirty three years of life. I have always been eager to please others", Blu began to rant.

"Seven years ago, I jumped out of a plane to save your life, six years ago, I agreed to move into the woods with you, five years ago we brought our kids into this world when you thought the time was right, four years ago I agreed to have none of them enrolled into schools and only teach them at home, three years ago I agreed that most of the tech would be moved outside the house, two years ago I stopped drinking hot chocolate when you asked, two years ago I stopped going to carnival parties because it's a human-only holiday, last year I agreed to replace the kids nests with beds. And finally, two weeks ago, I traveled to the Amazon Jungle with you and the kids. Did I agree with any of this, hell no. Did I do it because I love you, yes. And how do you repay me… you ignore me, shut me out, and now you call me selfish!"

A now crying Jewel fell to her knees.

"Blu p-please stop."

"-How dare you Jewel! You accuse me of being a bad father and mate when I damn near died for you!"

"Blu… I-I"

"You what, Julia Gunderson? Feel bad? Pity me? I'll tell you what, I don't want any of your goddamned sob stories, I've had it!"

"Blu p-please! Think this through!"

"I don't have to Jewel, you've made my choice obvious", Blu finished, flying off.

-End Flashback

"Yes, I do believe I was wrong. I used to believe that technology and advanced stuff was only for humans, and was bad for birds", Jewel started. "With that belief, came my image of what parenting should be; A totally wild experience with not an ounce of human influence. But, after our argument, I realized that to deny my kids some of the human-y stuff that you grew up with, would be denying them their heritage and deny you your right to be a parent", Jewel explained to Blu in an ashamed voice. "I also realized that I need to grow up a bit, and work more on being a wife and mother. I-I pushed you over the edge and I really hurt you Blu… and I am deeply and truly sorry. I-I understand if you are only staying with me and putting up a facade of love not to disappoint the kids and my dad. If-if you are only waiting for the kids to get old enough to leave the nest so you can divorce me… I understand that too… I-"

"Please Jewel, none of this nonsense, I love you still and will love you for all eternity."

Overwhelmed with joy, Jewel hugged Blu tightly and let out tears of relief which dripped off her face and into the pool.

"Thank you Blu!… I'm so, so sorry!"

"Please Jewel, no more apologies, you are completely forgiven" Blu replied while wiping her tears, causing Jewel to smile.

Roberto II

"Father, your lordships" Roberto greeted, bowing before three old macaws seated on stone chairs. The middle one, his father, bore a striking resemblance to him, but had striking purple eyes and had a buzz cut with grey feathers. The macaw to his left was only slightly younger than his father and was tall, lanky, and frankly ugly as all hell. The final bird was of an average build, he was clearly the oldest of the bunch as his teal eyes revealed experience and his white feathers, age.

"Rise son" his father instructed. "Tell me, what of our little hero?" he inquired.

"He hasn't taken a stance yet, although he seems to support Eduardo and the rest of the godforsaken royal family"

"Godforsaken? I thought you quited enjoyed the company of Mrs. Hero?" the left bird jeered

"Jewel left me a long time ago Rodrigo" Roberto spat.

"Watch your manners boy, use the correct title!" The macaw on the right scolded.

"Only I will discipline my son Oswaldo", Antonio menacingly threatened.

"Now", his father continued, "Do you think he wishes to oppose our agenda?"

"I don't know" Roberto nervously replied.

"Then figure it out my son… and report back to me alone" Antonio instructed

"Yes father" Roberto said, bowing and leaving.

 **A/N: Thoughts? Concerns? Predictions? Hit me up with them in the comments.**

 **P.S. Inspiration for the argument flashback come from Alex the Owl's "At Blu's Place"**


	6. Chapter V

**A/N: Mildly Explicit (still T rating, just a little mature)**

 **Jewel V**

Jewel Gunderson wasn't always a mother and a mate, nor was she always the kindest macaw. After her rather pampered and glorious childhood was abruptly ended by a roaring forestfire, her story became one of survival. For her entire teenage and early adult life, Jewel had nothing but one possession; her freedom. She always preached the philosophy of freedom above all else, but later in life, she realized how naϊve this was.

For her sixteen years of loneliness she fought against the elements, never staying in one place too long; Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brotas, Santos, São Paulo, Cabo Frio, you name it, she lived there. With no money to her name, she would steal, work the odd job, or simply live in an area too wild for civilization to have its influence. For sixteen long years she was homeless and penniless. She didn't enjoy it, but she accepted that it would be that way for the rest of her life… well… almost accepted. Until the fateful second week of February two thousand-eleven when she was captured by a wacky human in a lab coat and brought to an enclosure where her adventure with Blu would ultimately begin.

To Jewel, Blu was the kindest most loving macaw on the planet. Despite her mistreatment of him, Blu always was patient, kind, and caring. He truly won her heart forever. And it is that same love, that same connection to Blu that sent her into a downward spiral after their argument at the Pit of Doom when he finally showed her what she had done, how she had hurt him. When she finally realized what she did, it was almost too late, as Blu was lying on a bed, slipping away, only recovering by the skilled work of Dr. de Campas. Upon his recovery from his near fatal incident, he was informed that he would have to work an unbelievably stressful job for the rest of his life. All the problems he had, she was the primary cause of. She was the true reason for his now rapidly accelerating aging and annoyances. This guilt is what brought her to her Aunt Mimi for advice.

As she flew to see her aunt, Jewel noticed for the first time the impact that Blu and her father's project to make the tribe more "human" had. The hollows by the waterfalls were turned into apartment buildings, the sounds of music could be heard all around, guards patrolled "streets" where birds of all different species haggled in makeshift marketplaces. The resounding success of the project truly impressed her, just how much the place had changed since she and Blu arrived was unbelievable. (Jewel, who had been cooped up at home taking care of Blu and the children, never really left the area around their hollow since the loggers incident, never got to see the changes)

Realizing she was lost, Jewel flew down to a marketplace shop to ask for directions. The shop she stopped at was a small fruit stand. It's only employee was a Scarlet Macaw taking a snooze in a chair with a straw pork pie hat covering his face.

"Da licença senhor, você sabe a onde está a casa de Mimi?" (Excuse me sir, do you know where Mimi's house is) Jewel inquired.

"Quem? A Duquesa Mimi?, Irmã do rei Eduardo? Você 'sta loca mulher, ela nunca vai deixar vo-" (Who? Dutchess Mimi?, King Eduardo's sister You're crazy woman, she'll never let you-) the man spoke up in a caipira accent before noticing who he was talking to and bowing.

"Desclupe Princesa Jewel, eu não sabia que era você!" (I'm sorry princess Jewel, I didn't know it was you!" He quickly apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Jewel reassured him in English, "I hate the whole titles thing anyway".

"Thank you for understanding madam. Dutchess Mimi lives over there in that hollow" the man informed her, pointing to a tall "apartment" complex carved into a cliff face with a small waterfall flowing into a lake at the bottom.

"Okay, thanks for the directions, ciao!" Jewel thanked him before heading toward the odd building.

" _Princess Jewel huh_?" Jewel thought to herself as she flew into the lobby of Mimi's apartment. " _I was never called that up until now… but I could get used to it._ "

"Good morning your highness", the receptionist at the lobby called out, shaking her out of her internal monologue.

"Welcome to Lago Belo Hotel and Apartment Complex, who are you here to see?"

"I am here to see my aunt, Mimi."

"That will be the fifth floor, third hollow on your left, It is the only VIP suite on that floor."

"Ok, thank you."

"No problem M'am."

Following the directions of the receptionist, Jewel trudged up the five flights of stairs and wandered through the hallways until she found a set of ornate doors that were clearly Mimi's. It only took two seconds after she knocked to get an answer.

"Come on in my little wildflower, the door is unlocked!" Mimi called out from within the apartment

"Hey aunt Mimi, where are you?" Jewel inquired, entering the grand suit.

"I'm taking a bath, come on in to the spa room, first door on your left" Came a muffled reply.

Upon entering the spa room, Jewel felt more relaxed immediately. The steam, hot tub, gorgeous view of the waterfall, and tile mosaic on ground gave off an atmosphere of calm and clear-headedness.

"So, you seem to be liking my little dwelling sweetie". Mimi noted, while gesturing for Jewel to join her in the hot tub

"Of course I do! When did the tribe become so advanced? it looks like a city for birds!" Jewel replied, joining her aunt.

"Your father and your husband did a great job on modernising the tribe. They hired the best architects, whatever the hell those are, from all over Brazil to build statues, homes, and forros."

" _I've gotta compliment Blu on his work when I go back home_ ", Jewel noted in her mind.

"I'm worried about those two, the council hates this so much, when they go back into session, aren't they bound do punish dad and Blu for it?" Jewel remarked worriedly

"Don't worry darling, both Eddie and Blu are smart and tough, they'll get everything to work out" Mimi replied, cutting the conversation short.

"So my little wildflower, what brings you to visit your aunt today." Mimi started, breaking the short silence.

"It's Blu… Aunt Mimi… I still feel wrong about what I did and I feel like I could do more for Blu." Jewel admitted, hanging her head

"Jewel, what you did was awful, but it wasn't completely intentional. You never wanted to hurt him, so, naturally, you apologised and he forgave you" Mimi started.

"However, I don't see how you could do more for him. You stayed cooped up in that hollow for literally years sweetie, you refused to leave his bedside until he recovered, and now that he has made a full recovery, you are there for him, so you are a good mate.

"But Mimi, he was there for me while we were in Rio. I was irresponsible, I took him for granted" Jewel said dejectedly.

"Jewel, I've known you since you were just a hatchling, you're stronger than this. I would gladly give you more advice, but I'd need to have the full picture of your home life in order to advise you on that." Mimi answered after some thought

"Ask away aunt Mimi, I trust you to keep the details private" Jewel replied.

"So, who takes care of the kids most of the time?" Mimi started

"Both of us share that duty, although, before we came to the Amazon, Blu was the more responsible one when it came to the kids." Jewel thoroughly explained

"Who pays the bills?" Mimi continued

"Blu"

"Do both of you have a job?"

"No, just him."

"Who's the protector of the family." Mimi finally asked

"...Him", Jewel embarrassingly admitted

"Really?"

"I'm the more confident one, but I'm weaker than him physically."

"Ok, last question, how often do you two have sex?" Naturally, this question caught Jewel off guard, but she didn't protest.

"Um… about twice"

"A week?"

"No… a day." Jewel admitted with a blush.

"Wow, Blu's stamina must be fantastic."

"Mimi!" Jewel admonished, blushing.

"Well, Is he any good at it?" Mimi continued.

"Good? Mimi, he was fantastic! Blu may have a nerdy personality, but he has hit spots down there that I didn't even know I had."

"Wait… was?"

"You see, the poison did affect his ability to… um… do the thing. It's a sore spot for him. We try and try and try, but he always goes to sleep disappointed in himself."

"Honey, the effects of the poison are temporary. Sure, they hit you hard for a few years, but he will make a full recovery. I think what's really putting strain on your relationship is the fact that you don't really know him."

"Mimi, what are you talking about?! We've been married for twenty years, I've been at his sickbed and helped him recover for five years, how could I possibly not know him?!"

Mimi gave a short laugh and asked, "Honey, what was the last time he told you about his childhood? Better yet, what's the last time you told him about yours?"

Jewel went bug-eyed as realization hit her like a train. The simple thing putting a strain in there relationship was curiosity. They shared love, shared responsibilities, shared their greatest hopes and dreams, but the one thing they never shared were their pasts.

"Oh, and there's one more thing" Mimi noted, snapping Jewel out of her trance. She got out of the tub and walked down a hallway, motioning for Jewel to follow her into a small study. Mimi reached into a desk and pulled out a piece of paper, on it, it said: "Birds Club- Manaus: Voucher for two".

"Take this, you and Blu have gone through a lot, go have fun and grab a drink."

"Thanks Aunt Mimi"

"No go home to your man" Mimi playfully chided

"Ok, I will, see you later Auntie!"

"Bye Jewel!"

 **Blu IV**

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Hey baby, I'm in the office!"

Jewel waltzed up the stairs, in a cheery mood and walked into Blu's office which was crowded with papers.

"What's up baby? you seem to be in a good mood" Blu asked, taking off his glasses and shifting his attention away from his work to his mate.

"It's just that I hadn't been to the new area of the tribe, you and pop-pop did such a good job!"

"Thanks honey, it took a lot of convincing to get him to agree to everything, but he shares your sentiment about the results."

"What about the Council of Elders? I doubt they liked this"

"They hate it Jewel, but there's nothing they could do about it because Eduardo and I 'accidentally' decided to to it when they are out of session" Blu replied with a smirk.

"Blu… they're not gonna like that… I worry for you two so much when you do these things"

"Don't worry Jewel, I've got a meeting with them tomorrow, I doubt they will do anything about it." Blu assured, giving his wife a quick hug and kiss.

"So Blu… are you busy this Friday?" Jewel asked, snuggling into her mate's chest feathers

"Not really, why?"

"Aunt Mimi gave me a voucher for a nice club in Manaus."

"Ah, so that's why you're in a good mood."

"Mmhm"

"I'd love to go baby"

"Awesome, I'm looking forward to it", Jewel replied with a wink.

Roberto III

The council of elders convened at the clay banks every five months for over five hundred years. They were always thought of as wise, which is why they were charged with regulating the powers of the king. Roberto used to hate them, even his dad. His father, Antonio, the head of the council of elders, is an intimidating cold figure who was always very controlling of his son, which caused Roberto to rebel in the early days. Eduardo and Jewel became close to him over that period of time, only to betray him by siding with the humans and Blu. Blu… oh how he hated that name.

"Members of the council, please rise for the king and his son-in-law" came the voice of his father, who he was sitting beside. The figures he most hated then walked into the room.

"Thank you, you may be seated" Eduardo said, standing in the center of the council with Blu.

"I shall not be speaking at all today, Blu here will fill you in on everything."

"Thank you sir" Blu started as Eduardo found a seat.

"As you all know, the king and I have recently started a program to bring in some human advantages to the tribe to improve our ability to survive and to adapt to the world around up. You see, birds who live around human civilization without being directly owned by humans have a higher chance of survival and preservation of their communities. For example, the birds of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador have a life expectancy of seventy-eight years, are literate, and live in successful communities of two thousand or more birds. The average life expectancy for primitive Amazonian birds is a short forty-three years, they generally are not literate, and they generally live in communities of about four-hundred or more. Looking at these statistics, we figured out that if we can have the same advantages as the city birds without moving the tribe, it would help us a lot. Now that we have gone through with it, we would like to ask the council's opinion on the matter.

"The council thinks that this is madness!" an anonymous member shouted, with many other heads nodding in agreement.

"Care to explain why?" Eduardo interrogated.

"Because it violates our traditions and what we stand for, freedom!" another voice yelled out, causing the council to get riled up.

"How are you any less free?" Blu shouted over the crowd.

"Because we have contact with human things!"

"Who said that makes you a slave to humans, you can have human things and be free!" Blu retorted, causing a frenzy in the council.

"ENOUGH! The council will debate this matter and then return to you with the result, until then, this meeting is adjourned."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it may seem to drag on at some points, but I tried to capture a few different character dynamics. It took a while to get inspiration for this and to see where I would take this story as a whole, but what matters is that I broke my writer's block. Since I have the next few chapters already planned out, it would be interesting to hear what you think will happen next. Until Next Time…**


	7. Chapter VI

**A/N: Here it is, my latest chapter. This one took a while to think up because I wanted to fit a new subplot into the greater story.**

 **Tiago I**

Tiago Gunderson bore witness to some of the most consequential moments in the history of his tribe. He watched it go from a group of three hundred Spix Macaws fleeing from humans and surviving off of one Brazil nut grove to a diverse and powerful mini-nation held in high esteem by its fellow tribes for its freedom and progress. Like his home Tiago had become wiser and more settled down over the years. After the battle with the loggers, his father's injuries and new job kept both his father and his mother in or around their home for a good five years, forcing him to become more independant and composed. However, despite being a little more prim and proper, Tiago was still a teenager and was one hell of a catch for the teenage girls of the tribe. He was tall (nearly Blu's height) and had more charming and suave features than he did as a chick. He was also powerful and of "noble" birth. His mother, Jewel, is the daughter of Eduardo, the leader of the tribe, his father, Blu, is the tribe's undisputed hero. He was as well known as it got and could have any girl in the tribe… almost any girl…

Madalena, the daughter of Jordana, the Pit of Doom scorekeeper, the girl he couldn't have but wanted the most. She was stunningly beautiful. Her green eyes shone like emeralds in the moonlight, her crest feathers, long and well groomed, her smile melts his heart and she makes him feel happy just by being around him. But alas, no matter how badly he wants to be with her and how desperately she wants to be with him, they cannot have each other because her father is none other than Roberto, his estranged uncle. Tiago knew that if he even tried, his mother would be furious… after all, she made her feelings towards his uncle clear many years ago...

 _Four years earlier, after the logger incident_

 _"Mama, why do you hate uncle Beto now?" Tiago asked his mother who was watching the sunset from the door of their new hollow._

" _Sweetie… your uncle Beto betrayed me and daddy pretty badly, so we don't talk very much… hate might be a bit strong" Jewel kindly replied._

" _What did he do? Is he the reason dad can't walk or see?"_

 _Jewel sighed and cleared her throat, "Tiago, let me explain it to you as simply as I can. I grew up very close to your uncle Beto here in the Amazon, after all, everyone was expecting us to get married"_

" _Why?"_

" _Because I have no brothers, so whoever married me would become the leader of the tribe. Roberto's dad always wanted him to marry me… even recently."_

" _So is that why Roberto was acting like daddy by being kissy-kissy with you?"_

" _Sweetie, I never kissed Roberto"_

" _No, but you treated him like daddy"_

 _Jewel sighed again and turned her head away from her son so he would not see her guilty tears welling up._

" _Anyways, Roberto hurt us by trying to take daddy's credit for beating the loggers and reminding everyone about daddy's mistake at the Pit of Doom, luckily, it didn't work."_

" _Mommy, is uncle Beto dangerous now?"_

 _"... Yes Tiago… He is"_

From that day onwards, he avoided all contact with his uncle, but now, it was hindering his goal to date Madelena. Perplexed by the situation, he decided to turn to his dad for advice.

"Gilberto, How long until the council announces their decision on that vote?" Tiago heard his dad's anxious, muffled voice through the door.

"Two days, the last round of debating is happening today"

"Ok, good, make plans for-"

Nervously, the teenage macaw knocked on his dad's office door, cutting off the conversation.

"Come in" Blu called out. Tiago nervously let himself in

"Hey son, what's up?" His father calmly asked.

"Um… not-not much dad" Tiago stuttered. Needless to say, Blu saw right through his fib.

"Gilberto, can I have a moment with Tiago? It's not too much trouble for you right?"

"No trouble at all boss, I'll see you two at dinner" Gilberto reassured, walking out into the hallway and closing the door.

"Son, what is going on, why are you so nervous?" the caring father asked, turning his full attention to his son.

"You see dad, I have a crush… this girl in the tribe-" Tiago started, his dad raising an 'eyebrow' and listening intently.

"And… I don't know if you and mom would approve…"

"Well, why do you think that?" Blu calmly asked his son.

"Because she's… she's Roberto's daughter" Tiago quickly explained, anxious to hear his father's reaction. Blu calmly walked to his son and put his wing around him.

"Tiago, she is not Roberto himself, I am fine with it! You are talking about Jordana's daughter correct?"

"Yeah dad" a relieved Tiago said, hugging his father and crying tears of joy into his dark blue feathers.

"Thank you dad! Thank you so much!".

"Son, you are my pride and joy. As long as she is a fine young woman, I will happily allow you to date her. The only thing I ask is that you bring her to meet your old man some time."

"Can I go tell her now? She'll be so happy to hear this!"

"Sure, as a matter of fact, invite her and her mother to eat dinner and celebrate the results of the council vote tonight, I'm sure the others won't mind".

"Really? You'll invite them?" Tiago asked in jolly disbelief.

"Of course son!" Blu reaffirmed, receiving a huge hug from Tiago.

Blu chuckled and ruffled his son's crest feathers affectionately, enjoying their father-son moment.

"What about mom?"

"I'm sure she'll love her".

"But… her and uncle Beto… what she told me".

Blu pondered this for a moment before advising;

"Introduce her to your mother first, let them get to know each other before the dinner"

"Dad, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tiago asked worriedly.

"Maybe it's not a great idea, but it's the best idea we have right now" Blu replied. Tiago quickly nodded yes and ran out the door

"Thank you dad, I'll see you later!" he called back.

"Go get'er son!" his father called back with an ear to ear grin.

 **Madalena I**

Madalena waited patiently by the waterfalls for her best friend and love interest, Tiago. Ever since the two of them met, they were inseparable. Both the macaws were kind, funny, athletic and lovers of a good prank. However, it wasn't this alone that gave them a shared feeling of love, it was a mutual act of affection and rebellion, an act that made Madalena feel independant; She carried on a relationship with a bird her father and grandfather hate.

You see, Madalena doesn't exactly have the best relationship with her father and grandfather. Her father, Roberto, courted the affections of her mother about twelve years before Jewel returned. He charmed her with his suave and debonair ways. He told her she was the only woman for him, and treated her like a queen… until she got pregnant with Madalena. After all, she was an accident, conceived by mistake, a mistake Roberto never wanted to make. In order to keep his reputation and stay in the dating game, her father and grandfather blackmailed her mother into claiming that her daughter was a child of rape. This tore her mom apart inside, but she had to do it to protect her family. Whenever Roberto was around, he would lay down strict rules and beat her and her mother. So, in order to oppose him, to prove that her wretched father would not keep her down, she allowed herself to fall in love with Tiago, all she was waiting for him to do was ask her to be his girlfriend… oh how she longed for that day.

"Madalena!" Tiago's excited voice called out from behind her.

"Hey Tiago, what's u-" She started before being interrupted by a passionate kiss. After overcoming the shock of being kissed by her crush, she returned the kiss, full force. Their tongues danced a tango as each one enjoyed the taste of the other. After about a minute, Tiago broke the kiss to tell her something.

"Madalena, I talked to my dad, he's cool with us going out, we can finally date! And he invited you and your mom over to dinner!" Tiago told her with jittery happiness.

"...Really?!" She excitedly asked.

"Really" Her now boyfriend reassured, earning him an even more passionate kiss.

"So… what about your mom… is she okay with us dating?"

"I… I don't know… " Tiago honestly replied, "My dad suggested you meet her properly before the dinner… is that ok?"

"That's fine by me Tiago… just make sure she knows we're dating before she meets me."

 **Antonio I**

"Roberto!" Antonio called out from outside his son's hollow, "come out here this instant!"

"Coming dad! Just gotta fix my crest feathers to look fly!" Antonio merely facepalmed and turned to Oswaldo, who accompanied him to see Roberto.

"Oswaldo, this boy is a great liability". The council leader informed his colleague

"No, he is a great asset. Nobody knows of his problems and they all still assume he is the macho-bird of the tribe." Oswaldo retorted

"You mean, nobody knows of his problems YET, it's only a matter of time before people discover that he has had multiple illegitimate children with multiple women, hell, he even has a scarlet macaw child! The minute the tribe discovers this, his reputation will die!"

"Then we must do everything in our power to make sure they don't discover this".

"Fair enough".

 **Madalena II**

To say Madalena was excited when she flew home was an understatement. Not only will she be able to date the bird she loves, Tiago, but she has a great shot at making a good impression on his mother as well. All she had to do now was explain the situation to HER mother.

"Ma' are you home?" Madalena called out into her hollow.

"Yes filha (daughter) I'm here" Her mother kindly called back, approaching her daughter and hugging her.

"How was your day?" she asked after breaking the hug.

"Fantastic!" Madalena joyously replied.

"That's good to hear! What happened to make it so fantastic?" Her mother inquired with a slight smile.

"Mom… I have a boyfriend!" She answered, causing her mother to give an excited, short gasp.

"Filha, that's fantastic! Who is it that has captured your heart?"

"Tiago"

"Filha… you don't mean Blu's son right?" her mother asked, surprised by her daughters revelations.

"Yes mom, that's the one"

"Wow! Look at you! Snagging a taker! Looks like you like powerful men sweetie" Her mother teased.

"Mooom! please stop. I can't have you acting like this around me since they invited us to dinner today!"

"They did what?!"

"You heard me, we're having dinner with the leader of the tribe and his family today, oh, and his mom will be here any moment to get to know me."

"Madalena, why didn't you tell me sooner, urgh!, I've gotta go get ready!"

 **Jewel VI**

 _"I must be the luckiest girl on earth"_ Jewel thought to herself as she and Blu relaxed for their afternoon siesta. She was lying on him, resting her head underneath Blu's and watching the beams of sunlight poke through their curtains as the wind blew them.

"Blu… are you happy in our relationship?" Jewel quietly asked her mate.

"Yes, of course honey. We have three wonderful children, we love each other, and we have a great home" Blu replied, not even opening his eyes.

"I know, It's just that sometimes I catch you with this sad look on your face, like you feel empty or sad." Jewel worriedly explained to Blu.

"Jewel… It's nothing serious, don't worry about it"

"C'mon Blu, I can tell when you're lying, what's bothering you?" Jewel asked rubbing a wing on Blu's chest while looking up at him with a concerned expression

Blu looked away from Jewel for a second before clearing his throat to speak.

"Jewel… I'm worried that after the vote, that we will be in danger. That somehow the council will retaliate, and you kno-" Blu began rambling

"Shh, not another word Blu" Jewel inturrupted him, kissing him to prevent him from talking on.

"We are a family, as long as we love each other, we'll be ok"

"Speaking of love honey… it looks like our little Tiago has found someone for himself" The male informed his wife, wanting to change the subject.

"Really? Who?" Jewel inquired, caught off guard.

"A girl called Madalena, she's the daughter of the football team's scorekeeper."

"Honey… isn't she Roberto's daughter?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that the two can't date…. She's not a 'legitimate' child of his, he isn't present in her life."

"Blu, I don't know… this might not be a good idea"

"Look, I told Tiago she could come over for dinner today, and that after our nap is done you would at least get to know Madalena… it's not a good thing to judge people baby." Blu gently admonished

"I suppose you're right Blu… but, you scheduled this without me knowing, so as a punishment, I'm leaving right now" Jewel jokingly told her husband as she got up to leave

"Promise you won't leave your lovehawk for too long? Blu called out to her.

"I promise" Jewel simply returned before spreading her wings and taking flight.

 **Jewel VII**

Jewel took a deep breath as she knocked on Jordana's hollow door. She tried to relax, but couldn't. After all, her son had a girlfriend… What if she was just using him? What if she was crazy?.

No answer came from the stubborn wooden door.

"Hello?" She called out

CRASH! The sound of breaking glass and the flapping of windows broke the awkward silence.

Needless to say, this alerted Jewel quite a bit, causing her to slam open the door with her body and barge through the hallways of the house. Until she saw them, mother and daughter, bruised and bleeding. Going off instinct, she picked up Madalena and put her down on a bed.

"My god, who did this to you dear?" Jewel inquired with horror

"Dad"


	8. Chapter VII

**A/N: And here we have a much awaited chapter! I'm sorry about the delay but I have been very busy lately and needed to rewrite many of my plans for future chapters and even an old chapter (Chapter V, be sure to re-read it!). So, without any further ado, I present to you, Chapter VII!**

 **Jewel VIII**

 _Jewel Gunderson was perched on a small branch outside her home in Rio. It was a warm night, full of anticipation. After all, it was midnight on New Years Eve 2020. In twenty-four hours, Jewel would welcome her ninth year of marriage, eighth year of motherhood, and the thirteenth year away from her tribe._

" _I miss you guys" she said aloud, a tear in her eye._

" _I just wish I knew if you were alive or dead. Doing well, or badly. I don't know why luck decided that we would be in that fire, or why mama had to die in it, but I now accept it. Finally, I found peace, and love. But I'll never forget it, and for as long as I live, Blu and my children won't know about or feel my pain" Jewel concluded, wiping her tears._

" _That's not a good idea Jewel" a warm, honey-like voice she knew so well called to her._

" _Mom?"_

" _Yes Jewel"_

" _But… but you died?"_

" _Yes filha"_

" _Then how are you… why are you…?"_

" _I've always watched over you my angel, I would be a horrible mother if I didn't. It pained me every day not to speak to you, to watch you suffer. However, if I interfered, you would have never properly moved on. However, I don't have long, so I have to warn you, everything is about to change."_

" _How will things change? Will we be ok?"_

" _That, I cannot tell you, however, what I can tell you is that you must stick close to your family, and you must tell Blu everything when you both are ready. I must go now Jewel, I love you, take care of your family."_

" _Mom, wait!"_

"Blu, help!" Jewel screamed at the top of her lungs while carrying a now unconscious Madelena in her talons. Blu, Eduardo, Mimi, and Rafael darted out of the hollow to Jewel and nearly fainted at the sight of Madelena. No words were needed as the group of adrenaline-charged birds quickly sprung into action. Mimi took the unconscious teen from Jewel's talons and flew into the hollow, propping the poor battered macaw on a bed and taking her vitals. Rafael and Eduardo, taking note of Jordana's absence, flew rapidly toward her hollow to pick up the beaten mother. Blu and Jewel flew back to the hollow alongside Mimi. Nico and Pedro, who were in the hollow watching the kids took note of the situation.

"Ay yo, what's goin on? Is that girl gonna be a'ight?"

"I don't know Pedro, I don't know" Jewel informed.

"Baby, what happened to them, who could have done this?" Blu asked his wife.

"Roberto did it… Madelena told me herself."

Blu shook in rage, "I never thought that he could go this far" Blu commented, face in wings.

"He can Blu" Jewel replied, "he has" she finished, looking down.

Blu lifted his face out of his wings, Nico's jaw dropped and Pedro stared, dumbfounded.

"When? How? How badly?" Blu asked, rage shaking his voice.

Broken bones and a black eye, he beat me with a stick, I told my dad it was a lilypad-surfing accident," Jewel sighed, holding back tears, "we were fourteen".

"I'm gonna kill him" Blu started "I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

"Blu, I know it's hard to process, but that will bring more harm onto our family than good, he is still dangerous."

"But Jewel, he hurt you… he hurt you so badly"

"I know Blu, but I'm ok, everyone is going to be ok, but we need to take everything slowly."

"Jewel, mark my words, he won't get away with it. Nobody will EVER get away with hurting you EVER"

"I know Blu, I know, but first we have to take care of our guests."

Tiago, Bia, and Carla, hearing the commotion from the upstairs floor, ran downstairs.

"Dad, what's going on?" Tiago asked.

"Son, your unc… Roberto hurt Madelena and her mom pretty badly. Your mother found them when she went to pay a visit. Now, I know you're angry, but the best thing you can do right now is be near her, ok?"

Tiago, visibly shaken simply asked, "where is she?".

"The guest bedroom", Blu replied, causing the three Gunderson children to run off down the hall.

"Jewel, do you want something to calm your nerves?" Nico asked, concerned.

"Yeah, thanks Nico" Jewel requested, shooting a weak, but genuine smile at the canary.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, it's just that I had suppressed that memory, and it was pretty painful" she quietly said to Blu.

"No worries honey, you have nothing to apologize for" Blu gently replied, kissing his mate's forehead.

Nico put down a small, bird sized cup of herbal tea down in front of Jewel, which she eagerly drank. Not five seconds later, Rafael and Eduardo came in carrying the unconscious Jordana in their talons. The samba duo and macaw couple promptly came to help their comrades carry her onto a sofa where Eduardo began to dress the wounds that covered her. Not a word was said between the friends as they all sat down somewhere to try and process what just happened.

"Any broken bones Eduardo", Nico asked, breaking the silence.

"No, but she's lucky to be alive, Rafael and I scared away a group of goons Roberto sent to finish the job" Eduardo informed the group. "We have to face it, the tribe isn't safe anymore, the people may like you, but the council doesn't, you seven and the kids are in grave danger"

"Where do we go?" Rafael promptly asked.

"Manaus" Pedro suggested.

"Too close" Nico replied, shooting down the suggestion.

"Rio" Jewel chipped in.

"Too obvious, they will find you" Eduardo rejected.

"America, we will flee to America" Blu jumped in, settling the argument.

"But honey, Roberto isn't stupid, he'll just take a plane to Moose Lake. Based on what you said, it's a small town, he'll find us immediately."

"Not Moose Lake baby, New York." a deafening silence came across the room.

"So you're telling me we are going to go to a crowded city with god knows how many people, in America for god knows how long while a psychopath, and his father who will do anything to get rid of us, send people to kill us?" Rafael asked.

"What other option do we have?" Jewel retorted.

Blu shot a brief smile at Jewel in gratitude.

"Well homies, this is a lot to think about, I'm gonna go to bed to sleep on dis" Pedro told the group.

"I think we all should" Nico added. And with that, the group of birds all went to sleep, a much desired release from the plagues of the waking mind.

 **No worries, we will see plenty more of the tribe, I just thought it would be a good idea to send them off to America to explore Blu's past and let him tell it to Jewel. Let me know what you thought of the twist, peace!**

 **-RJBR66**


End file.
